Declan

A fter a week of being cooped up in the safe house, with a woman who seemed to hate him more with each passing day, was ready to give up on Savage's plan. His only saving grace was that he had a dog to keep him company now. He named the dog Joe because giving an animal a human's name always cracked him up. Joe was quickly becoming 's only friend and he was thankful to have him, even if Danger seemed less than happy about having the dog around.

Cillian had called to check in with him daily, telling him to just hang in there, and that things would all work out. was starting to think his brother was full of horseshit, even though he didn't tell him so. Things felt as though they might never get back to normal and was regretting even thinking about moving to America. However, every time Danger walked into the same room with him, all his regret seemed to disappear into thin air.

It was really starting to bug him that she hadn't warmed up to him yet, even though he had turned on the charm, Danger ignored him most of the time. She found excuses to have to leave the room when she found him in it. Every night, when they went to bed, she pretended to be asleep to avoid having to face him. The silent treatment was killing him and worried that it wasn't going to change any time soon.

"Coffee?" he asked when Danger walked into the kitchen, still in her pajamas with her hair pulled up into a messy bun. God, she was his walking wet dream, not that he was going to tell her that. He had a feeling that the former MI6 agent would have no problem murdering him and hiding the body.

"Please," she said around a yawn. She had become an expert in giving him one-word answers and he wondered what a full sentence would sound like from Danger.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, taking the mug of black coffee from him. "Thanks."

"No problem," said. He waited for her to finish half the mug before deciding to give her an update about what was going on back at Savage Hell.

"I have an update," he said. Danger sat her mug on the counter, giving him her full attention. "Cillian called this morning to let me know that their man on the inside at the Dead Rabbits has confirmed that your brother is being held at a warehouse downtown."

"I know," she said.

"You know?" he asked. "How did you find out? I just spoke to my brother a half hour ago."

"Lil called me," Danger said as though it was no big deal that she was talking to his little sister.

"My sister called you?" he asked.

"Yes," Danger said, going back to one-word answers.

"How did she even get your number?" he asked.

Danger shrugged, "No clue, but she got it somehow. We talk every day." She was talking to Lil every day and treating him as though he didn't exist.

"What in the actual fuck is going on here, Danger?" he shouted.

"Well, there is no need to shout, ," she insisted. "Your sister is quite persistent, and she insisted that we needed to talk every day so that she could give me updates and I reciprocate. And then, we talk—you know, like friends."

"So now you're friends with my sister?" growled.

"Why are you still yelling at me?" she asked.

"Because I'm pissed off," admitted.

"At me?" she questioned. He gave a slight nod of his head and Danger made a noise as if she didn't believe a word he was saying to her. "Why in the world would you be upset with me?"

"I didn't say that I was upset. I said that I'm pissed," he reminded.

"Okay, we're arguing semantics now, . Why are you pissed at me?" she asked.

"I'm pissed off at you because you don't say anything to me, yet you've befriended my sister and speak with her every day."

"I do talk to you, ," Danger insisted.

"Okay, what did we talk about yesterday, Danger?" he asked.

"Um," she squeaked. He could tell that she was running through their conversations, or lack thereof, from yesterday. "I didn't have anything to talk about yesterday, and I was tired. I don't make conversation when I'm tired."

"Did you talk to my sister yesterday?" asked.

Danger rolled her eyes at him and nodded her head. "I just told you that I speak with Lil every day. Did you know that her biker name is Banshee?" she asked. He did know that about his sister. "And your brother's biker name is Kill, although she hasn't told me why yet."

"I know their biker names," insisted. "But we're not talking about my relationship with my siblings. We're talking about the fact that you don't speak to me, and we both live under the same roof."

"Against my will," she spat. "I'm here against my will because your family and friends insisted that we're in danger, but what if we aren't? I'm a trained MI6 agent and you seem sturdy enough to hold your own." She looked him over and her eyes on him felt like a physical touch.

"Sturdy enough?" he questioned. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"Exactly what you think it means. You're a big guy and you look like you can hold your own in a fight—should there be one," Danger said. She was right. He could hold his own in a fight, but he had a feeling that going up against her would be a losing battle.

"Let's cut through the bullshit," he almost shouted. was done playing games with Danger. He was going to lay it all out for her and if she didn't like what he had to say, well, that was her problem.

"Okay, let's," she agreed. "What bullshit are you talking about?" He stared her down, trying to figure out what to say exactly, but Danger took his silence as some sort of challenge. She crossed her arms over her chest, and he couldn't help but look her over. When she got a little hot under the collar, it turned him completely on.

"You've been avoiding me for the last week because of the way that you feel about me," insisted, crossing his arms over his chest, mimicking her stance.

"And how do I feel about you, ?" she asked. She was daring him to say the words out loud, and he never backed down from a dare.

"You like me," he breathed. There, it was out in the open now and there would be no taking it back.

"I like you," she said.

"See, you can admit it," said. "And I like you too."

Danger barked out her laugh and took a few steps closer to him. She uncrossed her arms and poked her finger into his chest. "You're living in a fantasy world, James."

"I certainly am not, Bernadette Danger. I see the way that you sneak glances at me when you think that I'm not paying attention. I admitted that I like you, why can't you just be honest about how you feel about me?"

"Okay, I'll tell you exactly how I feel about you," Danger spat. He had a sick feeling that she wasn't going to admit that she liked him at all. In fact, he was sure that she'd be telling him the opposite.

"I think that you are an egotistical, arrogant, ass who has no social skills and no idea how to speak to or treat a woman," Danger said. She wasn't pulling any punches when it came to telling him how she felt about him.

"Ouch," he breathed. "You can call me all the names in the book, but it doesn't change the fact that you like me, and I like you. We're both adults, Danger. Why shouldn't we just admit that we have feelings for each other and move forward?" he asked.

"You mean to say that you want me to tell you that I like you and then what, jump into bed with you?" she asked as though that would be a bad idea.

"Well, we do sleep in the same bed," he said. "We have for a week now. Why not see where this thing goes?"

"We sleep in the same bed because there is only one bed in this horrible house, and we had to toss the flea-infested sofa out into the driveway. I have no choice but to share a bed with you, . Don't mistake my desperation for a good night's sleep for me having feelings for you. It's simply not true," she insisted. He could tell that she was lying. She seemed to have a tell that he had figured out during their week together. had always been good at reading people.

He took a step into her personal space and leaned over as though he was going to tell her a secret. He had to give it to her, Danger didn't even flinch. "Your right eye twitches when you lie, Danger," he whispered. Her gasp filled the room and he almost felt bad for saying what he had to her—almost. But a sick part of him took pleasure in her discomfort, especially since she was refusing to tell him the truth.

"It does not," she spat. "You know what, I don't have to stand around here and take this abuse. I'm going to go to bed early. Good night," she shouted. Danger turned and headed for the stairs and all could do was watch her run up to the room that they shared.

He stood there for what felt like an eternity instead of mere minutes, trying to figure out if he had read her all wrong. Was that possible? Sure it was, but he knew that deep down, she was lying to herself. Bernadette Danger liked him and there was no convincing him otherwise.

walked out of the bathroom wearing just the gym shorts that he slipped on after his shower. The room was dark, but he was able to find his way to the bed that he and Danger had been sharing over the last week.

"You awake?" he whispered. She didn't answer him, and he wanted to call her on faking sleep again, but he didn't want to fight with her right now. They had already done enough fighting for the day, and he was exhausted. All he really wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep for days.

climbed into bed and found himself pressed up against a wall of pillows again. "What the feck?" he whispered. "Not this again," He started to dismantle the wall that Danger had put into place while he had been showering, and she sat up.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm taking down your makeshift barrier," he said, holding up one of the pillows as a form of proof. "Why the hell did you do this again?" he asked. He tossed the pillow to the floor and Danger jumped out of bed to retrieve it. She was putting the pillow wall back into place as quickly as he was tearing it down.

"I put it there for a reason," she insisted. "I wanted some space and privacy, and this wall was my solution." She tossed another pillow onto the pile, and he gave up trying to keep up with her.

"This isn't necessary," he said pointing to the wall of pillows. "I thought that we were past all this. I said that I was sorry. What else do you want from me?" he asked. He could barely make out her facial features in the dark, but he could tell that she was rolling her eyes at him. She seemed to do that quite frequently around him. "Are you rolling your eyes at me again?" he asked.

"How did you know that?" Danger asked.

"Because you do that a lot around me. Do I piss you off, Danger?" he asked. "Because you seemed pretty pissed off earlier." That was a question that he wasn't sure he wanted her to answer, but he had nothing to lose.

"No," she squeaked. "You get on my nerves, and you occasionally make me angry, but you don't piss me off," she insisted.

"All right, then why do you need some space from me? You did agree to share the bed with me. Has that changed?" he asked.

"No," she breathed, "I don't mind sharing the bed with you, . It's just that you make me nervous, and I thought it might be easier for me if we had some kind of barrier between us." That wasn't something that he was expecting her to say to him.

"Is that why you put this barrier up again? I make you nervous?" he asked. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing, but he planned on finding out, even if he had to ask her a hundred more questions and endure her rolling her eyes at him for the rest of the night.

slid closer to her in bed, removing the rest of her pillow barrier and he could hear her breath hitch. He was making her nervous now, that was for sure. "Does it make you nervous when I sit this close to you?" he whispered.

"No," she lied. He slowly ran his hand up her arm and neck, running his fingers through her long, blond hair. "Does it make you nervous when I touch you, Danger?" he asked.

"N-no," she stuttered. couldn't help but chuckle at her lie.

"So, if I do this," he asked, running his hand down her body to her thigh, squeezing it into his big hand, "it doesn't make you nervous?" Her breathing hitched, and he knew her answer, but she decided to lie to him instead, only making him want to continue the game that they were playing.

"No," she said, "I'm not nervous at all."

knew that he was pushing his luck, but he didn't care. Danger was finally letting him in, just a wee bit, and he just couldn't seem to help himself. He rolled her under his body, and she hummed her approval. He loved the way that she wrapped her arms and legs around him, tugging him closer. He dipped his head and sealed his lips over hers and when he finally let her up for air, she was panting with need. The way that she looked at him made his soul feel like it was on fire. had never felt like this with any other woman, and even though he'd never say it aloud, he was falling for Danger.

"How about now?" he asked. "Are you feeling nervous now?"

She smiled up at him and shook her head. "Nope," she whispered. "In fact, I think you should try that again, just to be sure."

He chuckled and kissed her again, loving the way that Danger took over the kiss, sliding her tongue into his mouth. He broke the kiss and this time he was the one who was a little breathless. "You are dangerous," he whispered.

"Well, that is my name," she teased. "I thought that we've already gone over this."

"We have," he said. "How could I forget the night that we met? It was the best night of my life."

"If I remember correctly, I held you at gunpoint. I'm not sure how that was the best night of your life," she said. "Have you not led a happy existence or was it just boring?"

"A little of both," he admitted. "In a way, I should thank the Dead Rabbits for beating the shit out of me back in Ireland. It lit a fire under my ass to come to America to find my brother and sister. Since I arrived here, my life has definitely not been boring."

"I'd agree with you—about your life not being boring. I mean, I have been around you since that night, and boring isn't a word that I'd use to describe you, ," Danger said.

He rolled from the top of her to his side, pulling her along with him. They were laying face to face and all he could think about was how much he wanted her. "If we do this, I won't want to go back to the way things were. I mean, we really didn't start as friends, but I don't want that with you, Danger. If we do this, I'll want you in my bed every night, so if you aren't willing to agree to my terms, tell me now."

Danger pushed him back against the mattress and climbed on top of him, straddling his erection. Even in her t-shirt and panties, she was still the hottest woman he'd ever seen. "I agree to your terms," she whispered, grinding herself against him. He could feel her heat through his shorts, and it took all his willpower not to strip them both bare and slide into her body.

"Thank fuck, because I want you more than I want my next breath," he whispered. Danger leaned down and slid her hands through his unruly hair, kissing him like she had done earlier. She was everything he'd ever wanted and never thought that he'd find.

Danger sat up and pulled her shirt up over her body, tossing it to the floor. She was beautiful and couldn't seem to keep his hands off her. He ran his hands down her breasts, loving the way that she hissed out her breath when he gently pinched her nipples.

"You like that?" he asked.

"Yes," she hissed. "More, , I need more." He was willing to give her everything she needed and so much more.

rolled her under his body and kissed his way down her body, loving all the groans she gifted him as he did. "I need to taste you, honey," he whispered against her skin. slid her panties down her long legs, leaving her completely bare. "You are so beautiful," he whispered. He kissed his way down her belly, settling between her legs. Danger whimpered and he knew that she was trying to be patient.

"I've got you, Danger," he promised before sliding his tongue over her clit. She was so wet for him and all he could think about was getting inside of her. His unruly cock was just going to have to wait though. He licked and sucked her wet folds into his mouth and when he could tell that she was close, he slid first one, and then a second finger into her pussy. Danger nearly bucked them both off the bed and he threw an arm over her, trying to hold her down.

Danger came for him, shouting out his name and all he wanted to do was make her fully his. "Please, ," she begged. "I need more—I need you." She tugged at his shorts, and he knew that his time for playing with her was done. He stood and pulled down his shorts, letting his erection spring free.

"Oh," Danger breathed as she looked him over. was feeling pretty smug as he stroked his cock, giving her a little bit of a show. "You're a tease," she said.

"That is something that I have never been accused of," he insisted. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"Um, yes," she breathed, "but, Joe's watching us."

"He's a dog. I'm sure that he doesn't understand what's going on," assured. "But if it makes you feel better, I'll put him in the hallway." She nodded and ushered Joe out of their bedroom, trying not to notice the sad look on the dog's face. "It's only for a little bit, buddy," he promised.

Danger giggled as he walked back to the bed. "You really love that dog," she said.

"I don't want to talk about the dog right now, Danger," he growled. grabbed her legs and pulled her to the edge of the bed, lining up his cock with her drenched opening. He gave no warning as he slid into her body, causing her to moan out his name. He loved the way she said his name, and he made a mental note to get her to shout it out as much as possible while they were together.

"You feel so good," he moaned as he worked his way out of her pussy, only to slam back into her body. took what he needed from her, and she seemed good with his every thrust. When he finally lost himself inside of her, he shouted out her name and collapsed next to her on the bed.

He thought about saying something cliche like, "That was awesome," but he knew that Danger deserved more than empty sayings from him. "Was that okay?" he whispered, still trying to catch his breath.

She rolled over to face him and smiled, ", that was better than okay. It was perfect." She giggled and snuggled into him. "That sounds so stupid, doesn't it?" she asked.

"No, I'm glad that you said that. I was worried about saying the wrong thing, and you took the pressure off me by saying it first," teased.

"Gee, thanks," she drawled. "But honestly, you were wonderful, ," she assured. "In fact, I think we should do it again as soon as you're up for it," she said.

"Pun intended?" he asked.

"Yep," she said, giggling as he pulled her against his side. He liked this Danger—she seemed relaxed and happy. He had to admit, it was a nice change from the woman who barely spoke to him just days before. He just hoped like hell that his luck would hold, and they could stay like this, in bed, cuddled together, until their little fantasy world had to disappear, and they went home.

Waking up next to Bernadette Danger cuddled against his side every morning wasn't a hardship. After three months of living with her, he found himself falling more and more in love with her, not that planned on telling her that. He didn't want to spook Danger and telling her that he had feelings for her would send her into a tailspin. She was focused on getting Anthony back, and he had a feeling that admitting that he was falling in love with her would have her running for the hills.

Danger rolled over next to him and stretched. "Hey," she said, smiling at him. "Did you sleep well?" she asked.

"I did until someone started snoring," he teased. She hated it when he told her that she snored and kept him awake. The truth was, he found it adorable. Hell, he found everything that she did to be adorable.

"I don't snore," she insisted, "it was probably Joe."

"Okay, if that's what you need to tell yourself to feel better about keeping me up all night," he said. "So, what should we do today?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know," she drawled, "how about we stay around the house and wait for news from your sister or brother?" she joked. He could tell that being cooped up in the safe house was weighing on her as much as it was him, but there was nothing that he could do about it. She was right, they were stuck in that house until they got word from Lil or Cillian. Danger's contacts at MI6 had been pretty quiet lately and he was beginning to think that they were going to be stuck there forever, though that wouldn't bother him if he got to wake up every morning with Danger in his bed.

"Sounds good to me," he breathed. "Have you talked to Lil lately?" he asked. Every time he asked her that, Danger became defensive and would brush him off. He didn't give a shit if Lil and Danger were talking and becoming friends. Honestly, he liked the idea of the two of them getting to know each other.

"No," Danger said, "if I talked to Lil, I would have told you, right?" she asked.

"I wasn't accusing you of not telling me that my sister has called you," defended. "Why are you so uptight about me asking you if you talked to Lil?" he asked.

"I'm not uptight," she insisted. "I just don't like being questioned. I'm not planning anything with your sister or doing anything behind your back." A part of him wondered why she had used those words to defend herself. He hadn't accused her of planning something with Lil and he certainly didn't insinuate that she had done anything behind his back. could feel that something was going on, but pressing Danger for more answers wasn't something that he was willing to do right now. He was sure that it wouldn't end well for him if he did.

"How about I make us some coffee?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Smooth," Danger whispered. "I'm going to take a shower and I'll meet you in the kitchen."

"I'll be waiting with your coffee for you," said.

"Well, then, I'll hurry," she said. He kissed her and grabbed his boxer briefs, slipped them on, and headed off to the kitchen, with Joe hot on his heels. The coffee maker was halfway through brewing the first pot of coffee when he heard the front door open and close. He shouted for Danger a few times, and when she didn't answer him, he began to panic.

rushed to the front door and opened the door to find his car pulling out of the garage and all he could do was watch her drive away, knowing that there wasn't anything that he could do to stop her. He had a feeling that she had gotten intel about her brother and was going after him. Danger had lied to him and that pissed him off, but a part of him couldn't blame her because he would have done the same thing to her if it was one of his siblings that the Dead Rabbits were holding.